Let Me In
by PuppyNoelle
Summary: On the anniversary of the Crank Seminary incident, Zephyr locks himself in his room again, but Leanne insists that he shouldn't be alone. SPOILERS.


_Let Me In_  
>by PuppyNoelle<p>

Genre: Romance/Drama  
>Rating: T<br>Pairing: Zephyr/Leanne

Description: On the anniversary of the Crank Seminary incident, Zephyr locks himself in his room again, but Leanne insists that he shouldn't be alone. SPOILERS.

A/N: Hello again! My first RoF story was really more of a humorous drabble, so this time I'm trying something a little different. After a bit of drama, warm fuzzies are ahead. :3

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><p>Leanne sighed. She could barely feel the doughy substance that her hands were kneading in front of her. She didn't care that both she and the counter in front of her were doused in flour, or that Vashyron was seated at the table behind her, impatiently tapping on the rim of his wine glass.<p>

They were both feeling a strange combination of edginess and boredom. It was the anniversary of the day that Zephyr had killed all of the residents of the Crank Seminary, and exactly one year since Leanne had learned of her savior and best friend's dark past. She was torn between a range of emotions. Frustration, anger, compassion, worry, and pity all churned within the pit of her stomach.

As expected, Zephyr had not emerged from his room, not even to use the restroom or eat. Vashyron had poured himself a tall glass of merlot- at only two in the afternoon, and taken to sitting around and somberly staring at the wall.

Leanne, however, wasn't the type to just sit around and do nothing. She had to keep busy, because stewing in a pit of emotion simply wasn't her way. She didn't understand how the men could do it. Keeping her body moving was the only way to keep herself from losing it. So she had decided to bake a batch of Zephyr's favorite cookies, oatmeal and chocolate chip, for when he finally reappeared.

The young woman finally finished mixing, and carefully spooned out large clumps of dough onto cookie sheets. As she set the timer for the oven, she turned to see that Vashyron had abandoned the table in favor of the couch. He hadn't turned the television on yet though, which was uncharacteristic of him. Leanne stood there silently for a moment, but as soon as she began to feel the pressure inside begin to swell to her throat, she immediately stomped over to the tv and turned it on. She threw herself onto the couch beside her companion and grumbled, incoherently, at the air.

The trio's leader tapped her on the arm, and offered her a freshly poured glass of the blood-colored wine. She quietly thanked him. Her fingers curled around the cool glass, and she brought it up to her lips. She took a large sip and gulped it down, ignoring the burn of the alcohol, trying to focus instead on the sweet fruit flavor.

Just as she finished her glass, the timer for the cookies rang. Leanne tiredly rose from the couch. Once she had extracted her charge from their burning prison, she grabbed a pie server and scooped each cookie up, arranging them neatly on a series of ceramic plates. She didn't know what else to do, so her eyes locked onto the plates, watching as the cookies slowly cooled and hardened.

As she stood there, her emotions continued to swell even closer to the surface. Her sapphire irises locked onto a plate of cookies as she glared at them. She mentally dared the snacks to berate her for her swarm of conflicting feelings. Yes, she was pissed off at Zephyr for so many things, and on some level she knew that he would continue to frustrate her for the rest of their lives. But there was another part of her, a part more powerful than the anger, that wanted to be there with him. She wanted to share his pain, or at the very least take some miniscule part of the burden off his shoulders.

She remembered the day when Vashyron had jumped down and told her what Zephyr had said: that he wanted _her_ to be happy, and then he could die. Zephyr was such an idiot. She may be his reason for living, but was he really dumb enough to not see that the reverse also held true? She was just as hopelessly devoted to him as he was to her. She loved him with all of her heart and soul, and her ultimate desire was to see _him_ happy. Even if there was no such thing as fate or destiny, even if life really was determined by the choices that each person made, and even if it were a choice between right and wrong, she would always choose Zephyr first. He was always the right path, even if that right turned out to be wrong.

It was all one massive paradox. It was totally absurd. Her fingers curled around the edges of the closest plate to her. She was _not_ going to let him just sit there, stewing in his own guilt and misery for the rest of his life. She steeled herself as she stomped towards the stairs leading up to the second level of their small house.

"Leanne, what are you doing?" Vashyron asked in an almost scolding tone.

"I'm taking Zephyr some cookies. He needs to eat something." She bit back as much of her anger as she could, trying not to sound too harsh.

"You _know_ he's not going to come out. He won't even open the door."

"_I don't care_!" she replied, snapping. "I'm going to wait for him, even if I have to wait outside his door all night!"

"Then you're going to be waiting there all night."

"I won't have to," she stubbornly replied. "He'll open the door. He'll let me in."

She heard the clank of Vashyron's wine glass as he smacked it onto the coffee table.

"Well," he replied gruffly, "as long as you're being a stubborn, deluded, lovestruck child, I'm going out."

It was the first time that any of them had ever uttered the word "love" to describe her and Zephyr's relationship. Not only had Vashyron said it to hurt her, but he had also stolen _that_ word from her.

The young woman whirled around, livid eyes narrowed. Her heels smashed onto the concrete floor as she rounded on him. In an instant, a single feminine hand had disappeared from the edge of the plate and the palm connected with the man's cheek. She could feel the tears beginning to well up behind her eyes. Regret instantly lined her companion's face. He heaved a weary sigh, and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Sorry," he quietly muttered. He dropped his hand, and turned toward the front door. "I'll be back in a while. Just don't push him, Leanne. I don't want him to get angry and hurt you. If he does, he'll lock himself up for more than just one day."

"I know."

"Later," he said as he closed the door behind him.

Leanne heaved a sigh. Much of her anger had now been tamed, but her resolve still held strong. She returned her empty hand to the rim of the plate, and finally climbed up the stairs. She took a deep breath as she approached Zephyr's bedroom door. She raised one hand, and gently knocked. There was no response.

"Zephyr, I made some cookies. They're your favorite. I brought you some, if you're hungry."

Nothing.

She sighed. That approach wasn't working. She was going to have to bring out the big guns: the straight up truth.

"Look, Zephyr, I know you're dealing with a lot right now, but I just wanted to tell you that you don't have to go through it all alone. I'm right here. If you want to talk, or even if you just want someone to sit with you, I promise I'll always be here."

She rested her forehead on the cold metal of the door, shivering slightly as a cold breeze washed over her.

"And I'm not going to go away right now, either. I'm staying right here, by this door, until you decide to either come out or let me in. I just... I don't want you to be alone right now. So, I'm here, whether you like it or not."

Still nothing.

She stood there for several minutes longer, but eventually her feet grew tired of standing still. She turned away from the door, but instead of leaving, she pulled her skirt taut against her legs, and lowered her body to the ground. Once seated, she brushed out the skirt neatly, and leaned her back against the door. She set the plate of cookies onto the ground beside her, and pulled her knees up against her chest. Her eyes stared out over the railing and up toward the sky, which was gradually becoming grey and cloudy.

The combination of inactivity and the wine that she consumed earlier were making her drowsy.

* * *

><p>Leanne didn't know how long she had been out, but suddenly she was wet, freezing, and being hastily shaken back into consciousness. As her senses slowly returned to her she heard a familiar voice frantically calling her name.<p>

"Zephyr..." she mumbled, smiling, as the hazy outline of his face appeared before her gradually opening eyes.

"Leanne, you're awake..." his voice echoed with relief.

"Yeah," she replied, trying to push herself up from the ground. When her hand slipped in a cold puddle, and her butt came crashing back to the ground, she finally took in her surroundings. She was sitting outside of Zephyr's door, in the pouring rain. As several drops hit her harder than they should have, she realized that some of the rain was frozen, too.

She shrieked and futilely tried to cover her head with her arms. Suddenly, a pair of strong arms snaked around her waist and pulled her up from the ground. She felt herself being dragged across the threshold of Zephyr's room. She was swiftly deposited into a cold metal chair, and then heard the door slam firmly closed behind them. She instinctively curled up into herself, shivering. Her teeth chattered as she muttered her thanks to her savior, who remained silent as he fluttered around the room.

To her surprise, she felt Zephyr's hands pull the wet hair off of her face. He held the long blonde locks together in one hand, and brought over a fluffy towel with the other hand. He ran her hair through the cloth, gently squeezing as much of the water out of it as he could. A quiet hum escaped from her vocal chords as his fingers delicately massaged her skull through the soft cloth.

However, a moment later she remembered that she was still freezing, and drenched everywhere else. She shuddered from the cold, and she saw the towel promptly fly across the room. In the next moment, he appeared in front of her, holding out one of his clean shirts and a pair of jeans.

All he said was, "You need to get out of those wet clothes."

She nodded, gratefully taking the dry garments out of his hands. Slowly, she rose from the chair, and placed the clothes on the table beside her. She reached for the hem on her long-sleeved t-shirt, but paused, realizing that he was still watching her.

"Could you... turn around?"

A light blush grew on his cheeks, and he awkwardly turned on his heel. Her lips peeled into a smile as she stared at his slouchy posture from behind. She quickly relieved herself of her shirt, skirt, shoes, and tights. Her bra and panties seemed to have escaped the worst of the rain, so she kept them on. Her companion began to fidget in front of her, so she hurriedly threw on the dry clothing he had offered. She quickly gave herself a once over. The shirt was a little baggy on her, but not hugely so. The jeans were too long, covering all but the toes on her bare feet, and the waistband fell over her hips. Luckily, the shirt was long enough that it safely covered the lacy trim that was peeking out from the top of the pants.

"Okay! Decent!" she announced cheerfully.

He turned around silently. His eyes slowly travelled across her entire body, taking in the sight of her petite, feminine body in his clothes. She blushed under the scrutiny. She wrapped her arms around her chest self-consciously, and the pair stood there in awkward silence for a moment. Eventually Leanne shivered once again, still needing a bit more warmth.

"So..." the young woman finally broke the silence. "Do you mind if I curl up under the covers?" she asked sheepishly, pointing at the bed off to the side, "I'm still a little chilly."

Zephyr shrugged and replied with a simple "Okay."

She smiled at him and then made her way over to the only comfortable furniture in the room. Just as she was pulling the covers over herself, her companion had crossed the room and begun hanging her wet clothing from the high storage shelves along the wall opposite the bed. She watched his movements as she adjusted her body beneath the blankets. Her body easily fell into the spot in the center of the mattress where there was a slight indentation from Zephyr's own body. Once comfortable and snug, she watched him as he finished hanging her clothes, and sat down in the second, and dry, chair. He locked eyes with her once he was seated, and they silently, and comfortably stared at one another.

Finally, Leanne closed her eyes, and began to doze again. However, before she could truly fall asleep, she felt a disturbance yank her out of the haze. This time, Zephyr had climbed into the bed behind her, and was trying to get comfortable beneath the covers as well.

"Hmm?"

"Sorry," he replied quietly, "it just looked more comfortable than the chair."

"It's okay," she mumbled. She reached behind her torso and grasped onto his arm, draping it over her waist. She placed his hand over her stomach, and laced their fingers together. His body was so warm, and she instinctively snuggled closer. Once she had stopped fidgeting, he relaxed into her. His free hand gently brushed her damp hair out of the way, and he rested his head in the crook of her neck. His warm breath on her neck soothed her. She felt safe and warm.

Then, to her surprise, she felt his lips gently press onto an exposed portion of her shoulder.

"Zephyr?" she asked in a whisper. She could feel his heartbeat begin to pick up its pace behind her.

He pulled away from her a bit, and she instantly missed the warmth.

"Yeah?" the young man replied, a bit anxiously.

She turned her body around to face him. "Don't pull away," she mumbled, tugging on his t-shirt.

"Okay," he whispered, gradually bringing his face closer to hers. He touched his forehead to hers, but kept his lips at a safe enough distance.

Leanne felt his heart begin to race again, and she couldn't help the tiny giggle that escaped her lips. His cheeks tinged pink again.

"What?" he mumbled, embarrassed.

She stifled her giggle, and replied, "If you're trying to kiss me, then just do it. You're only making yourself nervous by trying to build up to it slowly."

He gaped at her for a moment. She smiled at him, her sleepy haze beginning to disperse.

"Here, I'll close my eyes." She did so, and patiently waited.

She felt his calloused hand tentatively cup the side of her face. His thumb tenderly grazed her cheek. Then the heat from his nervous breath hit her face. Her own heart sped up in anticipation.

Finally, he took the plunge. He pressed his lips firmly against hers, in a sweet, chaste kiss. As he slowly pulled his face back, her eyes fluttered open. A smile danced on her lips. His own lips twitched slightly upward and he exhaled with relief.

Before he could react further, Leanne leaned in closer, taking his lips with more urgency than he had taken. They parted again for a quick breath, before Zephyr swooped back in for an even hungrier kiss. Both of his arms snaked around her waist as he pulled her body right up against his own. Her arms curled around his neck, and her fingers dug into the messy blonde threads of his hair.

"Mmm... Zephyr..." she mumbled contentedly between kisses. To her astonishment, however, he pulled back. She looked into his pale blue eyes worriedly. "What's wrong?"

"It's just..." he began, gingerly taking her hand in his and averting his gaze away from her face. "I don't deserve you."

Leanne sighed, a bit exasperated. "Zephyr, quit being an idiot. You're the only person in this world who ever _could_ deserve me."

His eyes met with hers again, and his gaze held pure astonishment.

She continued: "I'm your reason for living, right?"

He nodded, silently, in front of her.

"Well that kind of selfless devotion... that's really hard to find, you know. You're a good person Zephyr, and the fact that you feel remorse for your mistakes proves that."

His cheeks tinged pink at her words, and she smiled.

"I know that a guy who once killed a bunch of innocent people wouldn't be most girls' idea of Prince Charming, but... when I killed Cardinal Lagerfeld to protect you, I made my choice. Even if you really _do_ deserve to be dead right now, I know that I couldn't stand my life without you in it."

His face appeared very comical for a moment. His jaw was slack, and his eyes were wide as a deer in the headlights. However, once he had composed himself after her confession, his eyes glimmered with such an intense joy, that Leanne almost thought she had hallucinated it. But that was it. That was the moment that she had been craving for, for so long. She had been waiting for years to see a look of pure happiness on that young man's face. In that moment, the "devil child" looked like an angel.

As he leaned over and stole her lips in a passionate kiss, the young woman wondered briefly what the rest of the world would think if they knew who he was. She wondered if they could forgive his sins, if they ever saw the intensity with which he loved.

They were so lost in each other, that neither of them noticed Vashyron crack open the door a few inches and peep inside.

Suddenly, Leanne's ears rang with the sound of the door being flung wide open, and crashing into the wall. She and Zephyr immediately bolted upright and glared daggers at the offender.

"Well, well, well, what did Daddy find in here?"

Leanne's voice shrilled as she grabbed Zephyr's pillow and chucked it, as hard as she could, at the intruder. "Go _away_ Vashyron!"

The pillow hit him square in the face, but the only response he could manage was a hearty laugh. Both of his companions blushed furiously, and the young woman's lips curled into an angry pout. Zephyr instinctively moved himself in front of Leanne, blocking most of her form from Vashyron's view.

He growled. "Don't you _knock_?"

The older man continued laughing as he spoke, "Not if I'm gonna catch a free show! I'm just disappointed you two weren't doing anything more than making out, 'cause I'd _pay_ to see tha- Ouch!"

Leanne had flown out of the bed and slapped him, _hard_. "Out!" she commanded, arm stretched fully out, and index finger pointed directly at the gap in the wall where the door belonged.

He laughed again, but conceded. "Alright, alright, I'm going," he said, sauntering out through the doorway, but just before Leanne could close it in his face, he leaned back in with a massive smirk lining his features. "Just remember to use a condom!"

"Shut up!" they both yelled, as Leanne slammed the door closed, narrowly missing Vashyron's large nose. She huffed as she returned to the bed, and the cackles from their leader were finally fading away. As soon as she sat back down on the bed, Zephyr molded his body around hers, cradling her closely against his chest.

"You want me to kick his ass next time?"

"Yes, please," she replied, snuggling into him further.

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><p>~fin<p>

Thanks for reading! And any comments, criticisms, etc. are all welcome! :3


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